Gaming machines currently exist with bonus rounds in which a player has one or more opportunities to choose bonus awards that are initially masked from a group of symbols arranged in a pattern displayed to the player. When the player chooses a masked symbol from the pattern, the game removes the mask and either reveals (or awards) the player with a bonus value or reveals a bonus terminator which terminates the bonus round. The outcome depends upon whether the player picks an award or terminator. The controller of the gaming machine randomly places a predetermined number of bonus awards and bonus terminators in the pattern at the beginning of the bonus round and maintains the positioning until the bonus round terminates.
When the player picks a symbol that awards a bonus value, the player receives bonus credits and the bonus round typically displays a message that the player may continue and enables the player to pick another symbol. The player then picks another masked symbol, and the process continues until the player picks a bonus round terminator. European Patent Application No. EP 0 945 837 A2 filed on Mar. 18, 1999 and assigned on its face to WMS Gaming, Inc. discloses a bonus round of this type.
To increase player enjoyment and excitement, it is desirable to provide players with new bonus rounds where the players have multiple opportunities to receive winning payouts. In particular, it is desirable to provide players with opportunities to receive awards from multiple levels of the bonus round or from multiple groups of awards, wherein the multiple levels and multiple groups form a theme that provides entertainment and excitement to the player.